State Senate Minority Leader Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis — who survived her own short-lived foray in the statewide candidate world in 2006 — appeared to be among the few politicians in either party who seemed happy to be on the sidelines Wednesday, as hot-shots on both sides pondered their futures and their potential opponents.

“This is what’s fun about politics,” said Coleman, at the end of Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon’s press conference, which was held to demonstrate Democratic unity after Gov. Matt Blunt’s earlier event where the governor touched on:

A) why he’d decided to shock everybody Tuesday and not run for re-election;

B) and downplayed any GOP disarray.

“Something new and exciting happens every day,” Coleman said. “Every day is different.”

No kidding.

Another enjoying-the-view observer was state Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia. As he waited for Nixon to begin his speech, Graham observed that Blunt’s announcement had been only the third such well-kept political secret that Graham could recall during his years in the Legislature.

The first two?

“I was shocked when (then Lt. Gov.)Roger Wilson announced (in 1998) that he wasn’t running for governor,” Graham said.

“And I was shocked this summer when Chris Koster switched parties.”

Graham had brought along one of his OTB (One Term Blunt) buttons that his campaign had made a while back. He had only four left from 1,000 printed up.

“These are probably collectors’ items now,” Graham said.

No kidding.

Koster, by the way, also was in the crowd at the Nixon event, along with a rival for att0rney general, state Rep. Jeff Harris, D-Columbia. The latter emphasized that he’s staying in the AG’s race — and isn’t interested in running for Congress, for example, should his region’s congressman, U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, opt to run for governor.

State Rep. Margaret Donnelly, D-Richmond Heights, made the same point through a spokesman, as she denied all those rumors that she might switch to state treasurer, should incumbent Republican incumbent Sarah Steelman run for governor.

A Donnelly spokesman said she’s not kidding.